This beer poured a clear, coppery red-brown color with creamy, tan foam that settled but cling to the glass in bands as the beer level went down. The smell was malty, but not overly special. The taste was malty with nice hop bitterness and a bit of caramel malt (though not sweet) and a hint of chocolate underneath. The mouthfeel was crisp and dry with medium body and good carbonation. The beer was relatively clean with a lightly malty aftertaste. This was a good beer, though I guess I expect something even more special from a 550th anniversary beer. Also, I was surprised to learn that this was a zwickel bier, as my 0.5L was definitely clear (I guess the barrel had settled).

A really solid brew that reminds me of a cloudy and ultra-malty dunkel-lager.
Visually it's similar to a dunkel-weiss, but with a bit more bubbly carbonation rather than a froth.
Taste is malty, but balanced with more hops than I expected and some unusual fruit flavors mixed in. Smoky flavors were definitely there, too.
I could likely drink several of these in a row...no doubt about it, although I guess they're not going to be making much more of it seeing how it's an anniversary beer. If you're at the Kloster and they don't have this on-tap, check the giftshop as they have a 2-bottle/2-glass set of this brew for under $10.
Like everything at Andechs - this is something everyone should try.

At the Kloster, I had a litre of Doppelbock under my belt, and I usually get a 2nd, but this being a one-off, I figured I might as well give it a go.

Though touted as naturtrüb, it poured a clear, dark brown/mahogany color, with a creamy tan head and super lacing. Nose was mild and suggested malty sweetness, though little else.Body was a middle-of-the-road medium, and it also felt fairly smooth on the tongue.

Flavor has some malt and a touch of caramel - real nice. Smooth floral hops arrive, and are not overly bitter at all. An easily quaffable bier, though without any single outstanding characteristic.

On tap at the monastery, May 31.
This is a "Jubiläumsbier" ("anniversary beer"), brewed for a short time this year only, to mark the 550th Anniversary of the monastery. It's an old style Bavarian triple-mash beer, with a distinctive dark malty aroma and flavor. Unlike most bocks and heavily dark-malted beers, this one is unfiltered -- the monks are trying to make it just like they did in the 17th Century.

Dark and unfiltered means cloudy red-brown, with a light tan head.

The aroma is leather, dark bread and broth, with a hint of sweet pipe tobacco smoke.

The flavor is molasses, dark chocolate and toasted rye bread, with a touch of soy sauce.

Really a unique and fine beer. Unfortunately, even though the monks are bottling it for distribution, it's only available in limited locations within a few dozen miles of the monastery.

If you want to read what the monastery website says about it, here's the URL:
http://www.andechs.com/englisch/brauerei/biersorten/index.html